So we’ve been around this city for a bit, and it has a lot going for it. Architecture, sun, fog, trees, gritty neighborhoods, booming industry (assuming you can code, “product manage,” or have piles of money itching for “angel opportunities”), and, of course, food and drink.

For a city of under a million, it packs the heat. (San Jose, where you at?)

But there is one area where San Francisco restaurants fall a bit short...okay, a lot short. The “action” and “scoping” categories are critical to the Infatuation Differentiation, and they are a lot harder to satisfy out here on the Bay.

Enter Bar Crudo. Oysters and fresh seafood in Nopa? We shoulda known. This is where all the attractive people are.

So lose the Dropbox tee and get on your Tinder game. Once you achieve the inevitable romantic success that comes from snap judgment, head to Bar Crudo. It’s where the magic before the magic happens.

Food Rundown

Oyster

A good selection of mostly West Coast options because, yeah, we don’t need you, Atlantic Ocean. We’ve got the bold flavors. Hit these up once you’re out of oyster elementary school.

Clams

More shellfish goodness. Keep it coming.

Herb & Jalepeño Mussels

Normally putting some crazy seasoning on fresh seafood is downright criminal, but not so in this case. A nice spicy kick on the sometimes-boring choice.

Peel-And-Eat Prawns

Good, not a must-have. The giant crab we saw on the next table looked like better finger food.

Raw Arctic Char With Crème Fraîche, Wasabi Tobiko And Dill

Because we are ignorant, we think of arctic char as “salmon on steroids.” And we were proved...correct! Seriously though, this was a work of art. Dill, wasabi fish eggs, and crème fraîche (sour cream, but good) take it to the next level. Favorite dish of the night. Favorite dish in a while.

Raw Butterfish

This fish is accurately named.

Lobster And Beet Salad

We’ll admit, we were a little skeptical going in—does good lobster really need beets? Does everything need beets in this town? Gonna give it an unqualified YES. Damn this was delicious. Every element stood on its own (there was some top-of-the-line burrata in there for good measure) and they reached higher highs together. There were like four colors of beets in there, and each had a slightly different flavor of awesome. A heck of a dish.

Chowder

Let’s take a look at the ingredient list—hmmm, fish, mussels, squid, shrimp, potatoes, applewood smoked bacon. Sounds pretty money? It is. Apparently the “fish” is whatever crudo they have extra of, so you know it’s quality. The broth is somewhere between New England and Manhattan in color—a nice orange. Let’s just start pumping this out at seafood joints across the city and people will be hailing “San Francisco chowder” in no time. It’s just $5 at happy hour, so if we lived in the area we’d have it once a week.